Percutaneous Leaflet Repair and Annuloplasty for Mitral Regurgitation

Percutaneous therapy for the treatment of mitral regurgitation has emerged rapidly over the past few years. Most of the percutaneous approaches are modifications of existing surgical approaches to mitral annuloplasty or leaflet repair. Catheter-based devices mimic these surgical approaches with less procedural morbidity and mortality as a consequence of their less invasive nature. Percutaneous annuloplasty can be achieved indirectly via the coronary sinus or directly from retrograde left ventricular access. Catheter-based leaflet repair is accomplished using an implantable clip to mimic the surgical edge-to-edge technique. Several of these percutaneous approaches have been successfully used in patients to demonstrate proof of concept, while others have already stopped further development. There is increasing experience in both trials and practice to begin to define the clinical utility of percutanenous leaflet repair, and annuloplasty approaches are undergoing significant development. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2011;57:529-37) (C) 2011 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation